Thursday, August 21, 2008

MIGHTY MONSANTO GIVES UP

Every now and then, reason, outrage, determination, and citizen activism combine to defeat the forces of avarice and arrogance. This is one of those times – children, organic farmers, and cows have just triumphed over mighty Monsanto and its political handmaidens.

For years, this biotech behemoth has thrown its ample weight around in Washington, in courthouses, in the media, and in state governments, trying to force Americans to swallow Posilac. You wouldn’t know the name of this artificial growth hormone, because Monsanto spent millions trying to hide it from consumers – an odd strategy for a corporation marketing a product.

But Posilac is not a product that people wanted. It’s essentially a bioengineered sex hormone that’s injected into dairy cows to force their bodies to produce more milk. It’s not at all healthy for the cows, it provides no health benefits (and possibly causes serious harm) for humans, and mothers never warmed up to the idea of pouring a daily dose of sex-hormone milk for their children.

Thus, the corporation weaseled its way into government, getting a ruling that Posilac milk did not have to be labeled as such. That was not enough though, since farmers, dairy processors, and retailers began labeling their products as free of the artificial hormone. So, Monsanto tried suing them and tried to get the feds and state officials to outlaw the hormone-free labels.

But people fought back, and even such giants as Wal-Mart responded to consumer rejection of Posilac by selling undoctored milk in its stores. So, Monsanto has now thrown in the towel, announcing that it is quitting its Posilac business.

This is Jim Hightower saying …This is a major victory for ordinary folks who simply said “no,’ refusing to be bullied or hornswaggled by the flexing of corporate muscle. For more information, call the Center for Food Safety: 202-547-9359.

“Monsanto To Sell Line That Makes Hormone,” The New York Times, August 7, 2008